What do you struggle with?

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
Minimal Justice System
Posts: 272
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:53 am
Location: Scotland

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by Minimal Justice System » Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:13 pm

Ich haben meine radhaus verlosen?! 8O
Live 7, Sony Vaio, limited talent, limited budget, limitless enthusiasm. :D
http://twitter.com/funkydoolah

Android Bishop
Posts: 1051
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2009 1:03 am

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by Android Bishop » Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:33 pm

everything

mostly finishing tracks though

aqua_tek
Posts: 2569
Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:48 pm
Contact:

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by aqua_tek » Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:49 pm

UKRuss wrote:I don't think this one has been mentioned.

My BIGGEST BIGGEST stumbling block is this:

'Why didn't I think of that?'

I hear a technique, read about a way of usuing Guitar Rig, read about a new tip in Live, see a video about how to do somethign with such and such a synth, read about doing somethign funky with reverb, or reversing a sample and then doing this or that with it. etc.etc

And EVERY TIME I think...

'Why didn't I think of that?'

:x :x :x

So ya, my biggest problem:

I can't think outside the box.
I've had a similar stumbling block many times. I'll have my "out of the box" moments but then shyly go right back in, thinking the idea won't work, it's too much, over the top, etc. Then someone comes up with a similar idea later on and strikes gold.

"shit i was thinking of this exact same thing months ago! and I thought it wouldn't work! Why didn't i go through with it? idiot!"

*sigh*

ThrowAway
Posts: 1614
Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2007 10:13 pm

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by ThrowAway » Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:09 am

Sibanger wrote:
ThrowAway wrote:Hamony,melody and counterpoint. Alchoholism, sexual adiction, and being addicted to being an asshole.



beatsme- i checked out your myspace over a year ago and i like your music.I think you sucking is all in your head. I dont know whats its called darkwave or what ever but it has its hot spots. come to tampa and check out the club called the castle.


chidj- I remember your posts after your divorce, she sounds like a cunt. I would fuck her but not when I feel lonely.I wouldnt want to get caught up in that mess again. Id fuck the girl anally from adult friend finder and then head over to the ex for some head. Then Id steal my fucking stereo system back.
8O

and being addicted to being an asshole.
:lol:


You really are quite good at it ThrowAway. Hey, at least your good at something.




..
I use to be a really nice guy, nice to a fault. I still am to some people but I find that being a dick serves me better. More raises and promotions at work and I sleep with way more girls.

H20nly
Posts: 16113
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:15 pm
Location: The Wild West

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by H20nly » Mon Jul 06, 2009 4:29 am

beats me wrote:
H20nly wrote:
beats me wrote:What's the point/plan? + There's 10,000 (and growing) producers that are better than me + I never get that [insert hot NOW sound] sound + little patience for the fine details of production = Hey, what's on TV right now?

I used to get a sense of accomplishment when finishing a track. Now I get a sense of relief....like a work deadline has been met. I've never really had a master plan for my music but now the "I just do it for myself" isn't cutting it or motivating me.
Come on guy! snap out of it. The difference between you and most of those other 9,999 producers is that YOU don't suck. You can't tell me otherwise. The world is a smoother place including minus you.
Oh crap. Thanks man. But I think we all have creative differences with ourselves. If there's nobody else in your project than it's up to you to beat yourself up.
I know how that goes. The artist I'm the hardest on is....me. I work sooooo much better with others. I prefer that they rate my work. Makes it easier for me to look at it from a constructive perspective.

Stay up.

edit: beside the point
Last edited by H20nly on Tue Jul 07, 2009 3:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

leonard
Posts: 893
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2005 4:52 am
Location: ? ?

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by leonard » Mon Jul 06, 2009 4:54 am

sound like you guys need a pep talk....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o50_ZlMnjqY
???

heavensdaw
Posts: 1825
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 12:01 pm
Location: inbetween the inbetween

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by heavensdaw » Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:56 am

leonard wrote:sound like you guys need a pep talk....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o50_ZlMnjqY
:lol: :lol: Cheers dude .. sorted me right out!

Hd

MrShine
Posts: 137
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:27 am

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by MrShine » Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:01 pm

Wandering imagination.... 8)

Although that can be a good thing :)

DrXparaMental
Posts: 950
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 6:18 pm

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by DrXparaMental » Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:52 pm

What DrXparaMental (musician/person in general) struggles with most: Courage & Selflessness.

monobeach
Posts: 290
Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2008 9:03 am

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by monobeach » Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:09 pm

strikingly, the thing, I struggle the most with at the moment is being a "producer" - although I always wanted to do something like this.

so, this singer approached me, if I'd like to work with him. I like his styles a lot, he's a great artist, so I started working with him, "producing" tracks, although I am originally just a keyboard player, who came to the recording business via recording my band, trying to produce some - hopefully - decent tracks.

over the course of 2 years, the singer and I developed 40 or 50 song ideas.

Now, we started forming a band to present the songs live, recorded drums for 5 songs in a dedicated studio to produce a 'demo' or EP. But all the work is left to me now, that is: arranging the drums, recording all the other instruments (like bass, guitar, vocals, keys etc.), arranging the songs, mixing etc. Which is kind of a huge task.

I have yet to find a 'co-producer' which has more experience than me, since I started all this only a couple years ago as a hobby. didn't think, it was so elaborate work. the most difficult task seems to be to recapture the vibe of our pre-produced songs (using drum loops etc.), which.of course, were phenomenal to our ears...

I also find it hard to find the right people (and equipment) to 'materialize' the songs the way you imagined them in a live situation..

nuxnamon
Posts: 1770
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 10:59 pm
Location: 650 area

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by nuxnamon » Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:20 pm

sometimes when I get stuck.. I go to the forum and end up checking what everyone else is talking about when I should be working on my sh%$. and before I know it.. it's time to go to bed.. i didn't finish the track but I know the famous people who use the apc..

inmazevo
Posts: 315
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:44 am
Location: P.N.W.

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by inmazevo » Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:32 pm

For me:
Time management related to the studio, post wife/kid/house and the responsibilities that go with that...

Gotta make time, but it's nearly guaranteed to either interfere with something else, or be after 1AM, or be 20 minutes long.
Get some new gear, gotta make time to learn it, following the same constraints above.

My wife can get SO much done personally in a dozen 15-minute time slots.
Me, I'm a marathon recorder. If I've got 10 hours, I can bang out 1-2 mostly complete tracks. If I've got less than an hour, I can't even get started.

Definitely, time management.

It's outward appearance is: not finishing projects, but it's root is the time.

- zevo
infinite density, zero volume

idl
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 2:05 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: What do you struggle with?

Post by idl » Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:50 pm

I'm really new and struggling with the frustration of wanting to create a certain sound but failing misserably. It's really stupid, but it's the knowing that I may feel disheartened after trying that sometimes stops me from trying. So I guess it boilds down to be being scared that I don't have the ability to produce the songs I have in my head - because on a personal level I want nothing more than to dance to one of my own tunes in a club! Did anyone else go through this when starting out? I need to downsize my goals and lower my expectations I guess... one step at a time.

Something that does help however is exercise. It's a known fact that the more you excersie, the more endorphines are released. I've experienced this (though not recently, only just started going to the gym again after 3 months of being lazy!) and I get about an hour long period of extreme creativeness - probably just enough time to lay down a concept for a song or arrange some existing ideas (if I were at the stage were using Live were intuitive, that is!). I'm sure this must be the same for others too, if you don't exercise then maybe give it a try. Don't expect to get a big endorphine rush on your first time down the gym mind you - expect to feel fucked for the first couple of weeks ;)

"Fitter. Happer. More productive" as Radiohead would say...

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